


Cozy and Comfortable

by CatrinaSL



Series: Three Things [95]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cooking, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fake Marriage, Friends to Lovers, Girls Kissing, Missions, SHIP DARCY LEWIS WITH ALL THE THINGS, Safehouses, Three Things, break - Freeform, houseplant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 15:44:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13767312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatrinaSL/pseuds/CatrinaSL
Summary: Hill and Romanoff have just completed a mission. But Hill can't quite pin down exactlywhyshe enjoyed it so much.





	Cozy and Comfortable

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rosiedeplume](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosiedeplume/gifts).



> rosiedeplume prompted cooking, houseplant, break.

"How was your last assignment?" Coulson asked. "You and Romanoff went to stand in for that couple that Victor Von Doom was trying to recruit, didn't you?"

Hill nodded. "It was only twelve days, but it was almost like a break instead of work. We got pretty domestic. We managed not to kill their houseplant, and Nata— _ Romanoff— _ may have cooked for me. I got her hooked on that classic car restoration show that I like, so now I have a legitimate reason to talk about it at the office."

Coulson smiled. "I've had missions like that. I'm glad you had a good time."

"Me too," Hill mused. "It was great until Doom Bots smashed through the skylight and broke the kitchen table. We took care of them, but it was still a shame; it was an antique table. Natasha did manage to save the houseplant, though."

"Well, the couple can't exactly take anything with them when they go into Witness Protection, anyway," Coulson pointed out.

"I suppose that's true..."

Coulson was soon called away to deal with a Level 8 thing, but Hill kept thinking about that apartment. It had been cozy, but comfortable. She had  _ felt _ cozy and comfortable there. With Natasha.

She pushed the thoughts away. It had just been a while since she'd been out in the field like that. That's why she couldn't get it out of her mind. It had nothing to do with remembering the way Natasha— _ Agent Romanoff— _ laughed over a bowl of ice cream before bed. 

Hill decided to stop thinking about the mission and just get back to work.

Paperwork. It had piled up while she'd been out of the office. 

Approving or denying requisitions. A new bow for Barton, yes, but did the STRIKE team  _ really _ need  _ another _ set of gun racks? Were the ones in the armory somehow insufficient?

Reviewing expense reports. Some idiot had accidentally blown something up on mission, and they wanted to comp a fancy hotel during the cleanup. Denied. Romanoff wanted a new bolthole. She was offering an old one as a new S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house. A safe house vetted by Romanoff was already more secure than a new safe house vetted by S.H.I.E.L.D. Approved.

Hill knew it was time to call it a day when the evening administrative assistant came around asking for her dinner order, so she abandoned the rest of the pile on her desk for the next day and headed to the grocery store. She had noticed that her own kitchen was pretty bare after the fully stocked one she and Natasha had enjoyed during the mission. Also, she wanted french toast—Romanoff had made some while they were living in that apartment together and she wanted to see if she could replicate them without the spy looking over her shoulder. 

She found everything she needed and headed for home, zoning out on the train ride. As she exited the train and headed for the stairs, she heard a familiar voice.

"Did you tail me, Hill?"

Looking up, she spotted Romanoff on a bench nearby and smiled in response to the Russian's smirk.

"No," she replied. "Unless I did it without meaning to."

"I've heard of sleepwalking but not sleepstalking," Romanoff said. "I didn't think this was your stop."

Hill glanced at a nearby pillar—so it wasn't. It was instead the stop she had used several times when going back to the apartment during the mission.

"I... went to that grocery store earlier, the one our protectees frequented. I must have just been on autopilot."

"Serendipitous, then," Romanoff replied. "My new bolthole is nearby, I just finished outfitting it."

Hill nodded. "A happy accident."

"Want to see it?" Natasha asked, and Hill tried to hide her surprise. Romanoff  _ never _ revealed the location of her private safe houses to anyone.

"Sure," she said, sounding just as unconcerned as she meant to.

Romanoff smiled as though she saw right through Hill's feigned calm and looped her arm through Hill's, relieving her of one of her shopping bags.

They left the station arm in arm, like they had a few times when they were a pair of married nuclear physicists instead of Agents Hill and Romanoff.

As they walked, Hill began to think that maybe it  _ wasn't _ the relaxing setting they'd been in or the break from work, but Romanoff herself. They had worked other missions together, with more action and less staying up until 2 am just laughing together, and she'd always enjoyed those. Maybe she and Romanoff were just growing closer as people, as friends. That was all. And it was perfectly normal to enjoy spending time with one's friends.

The route they were taking was familiar. Hill wondered where exactly they were going, but it was incredibly rude to ask a spy where their safe house was, so she kept her questions about their destination to herself until Romanoff unlocked the door to the very apartment they had spent the last two weeks.

"What...?" Hill began.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to auction everything," Romanoff explained. "And we—I thought it would be a shame. I bought it as-is and got the glass fixed—" She pointed up at the skylight, "—and just got the new kitchen table set up tonight. What do you think?"

Hill wandered over and ran her fingers over the wooden tabletop. "It's the same... how did you—?"

"Antique shop," Romanoff explained. "I sweet-talked the owner into giving me two chairs, so now we have four."

"We can finally have that couples game night we always wanted! The neighbors across the hall will be thrilled to finally get an invitation."

Natasha laughed. "What's for dinner, anyway?"

"French toast," Maria replied. "But I want to try it myself, so just go turn on an episode and I'll let you know when I'm done."

"I can't watch it without you," Natasha protested.

"You'll probably enjoy it more without me there telling you that  _ every _ part is the best part."

"No," Natasha said softly, moving closer instead of heading for the living room. " _ That's _ the best part."

"Romanoff—" Hill began.

"Maria," Natasha interrupted. "We're  _ here _ . We're not even on mission anymore. This place is ours now. We don't have to be agents. We can just be ourselves."

"Ours?" Maria echoed. For the first time, she realized that it wasn’t just the place (even though it was great). It wasn’t just the time off (even though that had been wonderful). It wasn’t just that she and Natasha were good friends (even though they were). It was… more. 

A  _ lot  _ more.

Natasha nodded, her eyes on Maria's lips. "Ours," she repeated.

"Then... it wouldn't be inappropriate for me to... do something unprofessional?"

Natasha shook her head, somehow closer than she had been; Maria wasn't sure how.

"Like...?" Maria tilted her head down, and Natasha tilted hers up.

Their lips met, and Natasha wound her arms around Maria's waist, pressing even closer.

"I've wanted you to do that since the first time I made you french toast," Natasha whispered.

"Then I'm going to do it again," Maria told her.

Natasha smirked. "Good."

**Author's Note:**

> Maria and Natasha have a game night with the neighbors across the hall a couple of weeks later, and a good time is had by all.
> 
> [Prompt a Three Things fic!](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7S2MbkK0CxVHMG3kF8CD6fYqD0zwY-J6MqLb21nmFyRpE4w/viewform)
> 
> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171171404028/cozy-and-comfortable)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


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